Heart Legacy

by Robin D. Owens

  “I can’t think of anything in life better to do than loving throughout the evening. And your second stipulation?”

  “The Residence and the Family believe I am refinishing the boathouse, which I did last winter. I’ve been anticipating the projects they’ve been giving me and am ahead on them.”

  “So we will meet in the boathouse? Or is there some other project you want me to help you with?”

  “I believe I’ll finally get permission to refurbish the north side of the stables.”

  “Great! Glad to help with that.”

  She nodded. “I do want to keep our affair secret from my Family; that is easier all around, and they won’t interfere if we do so.”

  “You mean the maître de maison won’t fire me.”

  “Or the twins won’t torment you.”

  He jerked his chin. “Let them try.”

  He might be a match for the twins, and that might be another reason he attracted her so. “But the Residence will expect me to sleep in my own bed every night.”

  Stepping up to her, he put his arms around her in a simple hug. “Much as I’d enjoy the contentment of sleeping with you all night long, I understand that it can’t be so. We will explore other satisfactory pleasures, I promise you.”

  “All right.” One last scent of him, and she pulled away. As it was, she’d have to do a Whirlwind Spell to cleanse and dress for her meeting. “Later.”

  He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her fingers, a gesture that unfurled warmth and tenderness within her. “Later, my lady, my lover.”

  Twenty-two

  As soon as Lori teleported away, Draeg collapsed on his bed, the cheerful optimism he’d had with her, when all he thought was of the moment and loving her, drained from him. Guilt bit hard and gnawed. At one point, he’d started to tell her the truth, but he knew everything about her would close up and shut down if he revealed his lies, the pretense of his life here.

  She might even throw him out of her life, be hurt enough to tell her Family about his mission.

  He couldn’t take that chance.

  But, no, that last wasn’t the real reason he said nothing.

  He simply couldn’t bear the thought of hurting her. Somehow, when they knew each other better, he’d be able to ease her into the truth of what was going on—his gut told him that at least one Yew was involved in this whole mess, but who?

  With that thought he checked on the hook he had in Zus. The man—the boy—sauntered in the direction of the stables. Draeg couldn’t tell if the guy’s twin, Vi, was with him, but he should figure she was. From the images he’d picked up from the stridebeasts’ minds, and those from the more knowledgeable Baccat, the twins stayed together.

  And he had to look as if he had been working for the last septhour instead of making love to the daughter of the house. Reaching out with his Flair, he opened the gate to the paddock so all the animals could roam free. Yesterday neither the twins nor the beasts had been happy to see each other, and there might be enough milling confusion to cover his lack of work and his absence for a few minutes. He could trust the horses to stay close to the stables, where they felt safe. The stridebeasts would probably stay in the area, too, but if a couple took off, he had bonds enough with them all to find them.

  Racing to the tiny waterfall, he washed, used a drying spell, then pulled his well-Flaired clothes around him.

  “Hello, the stables,” called a female voice, Vi.

  Draeg swore, then teleported to the tack room, picked up a piece of harness that needed mending, and strode out the open door.

  Both twins were in the U-shaped courtyard of the stables; Draeg glanced at the corral to his right and saw it empty but sensed all the animals close and providing the distraction that he’d hoped.

  Zus, the male, appeared bored, but his sharp gaze took in the nearly derelict west stable block, the run-down north stables that looked worse on the outside than inside since he’d been doing some work on those, and the shabby but sturdy east block.

  Vi smiled at him. “Greetyou . . .” But she hadn’t wanted to be introduced yesterday and apparently she hadn’t asked her father, Cuspid, Draeg’s name, so she couldn’t use it. Instead she revved up her all-lips-no-eyes smile that left Draeg cold. “Greetyou, stableman. Is Loridana Itha here?” she asked.

  Draeg donned his most dull expression. She must really think he was stupid. Even here and now, if he tried, he could determine exactly where every one of his siblings and cuzes were through his links with them. He stared into her eyes, a different shade of green not as pretty as Lori’s. Yes, Vi thought he was stupid and Commoner and poorly Flaired. He got the feeling that just one of those attributes would have made him beneath her notice, and all three made him only of interest if she had a use for him.

  “FirstFamily GrandLady D’Yew?” he asked.

  A cloud passed over her expression and Zus aimed that sharp gaze in Draeg’s direction, gave him another once-over and dismissal.

  “Yes, FirstFamily GrandLady D’Yew, Loridana Itha Yew,” Vi said. “Always the first thing she checks on, her animals.”

  Draeg retreated to the tack room and, still in full sight of the twins, glanced down the east stable block. “Not here.” He meandered to where he could see the corral and the animals, all keeping that structure between them and the twins. “Don’t see her here. I guess not. We’re working with the horses later at our regular time,” he said. “Do you need her?”

  “No, no,” Vi said. “We haven’t seen her this morning and wanted to make sure she was well after that accident last night.”

  Blinking slowly, Draeg said, “She broke her leg.”

  “We know that!”

  For a moment he wondered if he handled this correctly, being a slow stup. Would he learn more from these two if he adopted a servile, willing-to-please manner? Or should he be confrontational? He didn’t know enough about them, nor enough about the Family in general, to gauge those options.

  Right now his gut feeling said that they wouldn’t treat him any better if he bowed and scraped to them the way he thought they preferred folk to do. They’d take that for granted and wouldn’t tell him anything. If they were involved in the “accidents,” he didn’t see them doing anything themselves; they’d already have somewhat trusted sycophants for that.

  He stared at them. “You’re FirstFamily GrandLady D’Yew’s cuzes.”

  “That’s right.”

  Furrowing his forehead, he said, “But you haven’t seen her today, like at breakfast and lunch?”

  “No,” Zus nearly snarled. “She took her meals in the HouseHeart.”

  Draeg looked toward the unseen Residence. “HouseHeart, huh. Thought you gotta Healer for her, big important Family like yours.”

  Zus snorted. “We did our best for her.”

  Sounded like a lie to Draeg, one that Zus didn’t care if Draeg heard as a lie.

  Accompanied by his twin, Zus stalked out of the courtyard and around the southern end of the stables toward the paddock. Draeg followed slowly and touched the bond, still strong and steady, between himself and Loridana, sensed her usual serenity and that her meeting was ending. In a quick burst, he sent mentally, Your cuzes are looking for you.

  Irritation flowed back from her. They’re at the stables?

  Right.

  In his mind she snorted, a lot like her cuz had done. Her tone dismissive, she said, They probably want to see for themselves how Healed my leg is. Perhaps check out my energy and Flair levels. Watch out for the animals.

  Of course, Lori. He lilted her name with affection, felt the return of that emotion to him.

  Draeg. His own name came from Lori on a wash of tenderness. Then a quick pinching of their bond, a sigh. The Residence summons me.

  Later, he whispered back, but didn’t know if she heard him. He’d caught up with the twins and observed Zus staring at the animals.

  Only four stridebeasts stood on the far side of the corral. The animals watched the hu
mans and drifted farther toward the back of the stables.

  “Only four; where are the other two?” Zus asked.

  And Draeg realized that in addition to checking out Loridana, and maybe him, these two continued to want a blackmail hammer against Lori.

  “Around,” Draeg replied, gesturing vaguely. “Do you wanna ride? I can get ya saddles and pressure halters for two. Which ones ya want?” He didn’t think the pair knew the animals’ names.

  “Ride?” Vi’s laugh was brittle. “No.”

  But the twins now circled the corral and all but the two largest male stridebeasts galloped away. Those two watched the humans just as intently as the twins stared at them.

  “Be careful a’them, they spit and bite,” Draeg said, then cursed himself for revealing that. Who knew what Flair the twins had, whether one or both could send a killing blow to the animals instead of trying to take them physically.

  Zus stopped, slanted Draeg a look. “Is that so?”

  “Yup. GrandLady D’Yew’s been a little spooked ’bout their health lately an’ asked that I remind them’a their natural defenses. They’s smart beasts, they can unnerstand mind images real well if ya go slow and think hard at them.”

  “Really?” Vi dragged the word out in a sarcastic way.

  “Yup.” Draeg rocked back and forth on his heels. “So GrandLady D’Yew and I have been a-workin’ with the beasts, and the horses, too.”

  “I don’t see the horses,” Zus said. “Are they well?”

  “Yup, a little shy, though. We’re keeping them in a pen on the opposite side of the stables away from the stridebeasts.” He could lie, too.

  “And you’re caring for those animals well, too? Talking to them in mental images?” Zus continued.

  “Yup, though they ain’t used ta humans and are shy around us, too.” Draeg didn’t think these two had observed either Lori or him riding the horses, and riding them well. “The horses are a little nervy so they’s already on alert like when folk come around.” He looked at them, showing his doubt. “I s’pose I could get you two on the back of them and walk you around the paddock.”

  “Not necessary today,” Vi said.

  “Good.” Draeg nodded. “The horses need to settle more. We—GrandLady D’Yew and me—are protective of them. No offense.”

  Zus showed his teeth in a fake smile. “None taken.”

  “Not to mention the Sallows,” Draeg said casually, but keeping a narrowed glance on the twins, noted their expressions hardened so they resembled each other even more closely.

  “What about the Sallows?” asked Zus.

  Draeg wished he’d had a soft hat he could have taken off and crumpled nervously in his hands. A hat would have been an excellent prop for this little acting exercise. Instead he ducked his head and looked up from under his brows at the young man. Younger than he in years as well as experience, and too arrogant to realize that even a lower-class man Draeg’s age could be wiser than he. Draeg couldn’t actually bring himself to shift from foot to foot, be even a little off balance in front of these two.

  “Well, ya know. Caprea Sallow, he tol’ me that these horses I be lookin’ after, well, you folk ain’t had none for a long time and they—the horses—is only here on, like, loan until you Yews show that you take care of them good.”

  “What!” Zus’s pale face flushed. “The gall of the man. His Family is barely a secondary GrandHouse.”

  Gritting his teeth, Draeg did it, shifted from foot to foot, twice. “Well, I’m s’posed to tell him if anything goes wrong with the horses.” Then he set his balance and rushed into speech. “But everythin’s goin’ really, really good. You don’ have to think about no, no repercussions like from the Sallows.”

  “And just exactly what do the Sallows think they could do to us?” Vi hissed.

  Draeg glanced aside, then back to meet Vi’s haughty gaze. “Them Sallows,” Draeg shook his head. “They take the well-bein’ of animals right seriously. I wouldn’t put it past them ta come right onto your land here and take them horses if they ain’t been treated right.”

  The spring air around them shimmered with danger. Threat from people unused to being thwarted. Anger—no, fury—seethed through the twins standing before him.

  And a moment of pure clarity enveloped Draeg. He could see how this whole situation could escalate to FirstFamily against FirstFamily, dragging Druida City back into terrible feuding and duels. Worse than the Holly-Hawthorn feud decades ago. At least the then-T’Hawthorn had come to his senses. He couldn’t see much other than pride and hubris standing before him. But there were others who would be making such a decision to cry war and call up their allies.

  “As a Family, we will never let outsiders dictate to us again,” Vi stated with complete implacability.

  So Draeg had to be very careful from now on, more than he had been, and he had to get Loridana on the side of reason. Somehow.

  Right now he shrugged. “Well, everyone here and them Sallows know that them horses are here for a probationary period. I’m sure all you’d have ta do is give them Sallows the horses. Not like they’re in bad shape or nothin’,” he said in a soothing tone. He hoped he wasn’t dooming the stridebeasts. He’d have to be careful to keep a wary eye out for their well-being, too. And he and Lori had thought the dangers to the stridebeasts were over. He wasn’t looking forward to telling her of this conversation.

  “Loridana has had the stridebeasts longer,” Vi murmured. “She must love them more.”

  Just as if the length of time were an aspect of love. Draeg set his teeth. He was tired of the twins; definitely time to send them on their way. He scratched his head. “Really not sure why you are here if it ain’t to ride, and since FirstFamily GrandLady D’Yew ain’t here.”

  That drew their attention off the animals—who took the opportunity to run away—and focused the twins’ malice back on Draeg. He chilled from the sensation but stood his ground in the long flat silence.

  Then he widened his eyes and gave them a grin. “Oh, I got it! I know what yer here for! You’re here to apologize for that there Residence a-bein’ rude to me.”

  He let his smile fade under their disbelieving and icy glares.

  “No?”

  “No.”

  Hands open and out, Draeg shrugged his hunched shoulders. “Whatcha here for, then? I got work ta be doin’.” He frowned. “And now I gotta beat the woody areas for them beasts.”

  “Do not speak to us in that tone,” Vi snapped.

  “Do not question us or our actions,” Zus added.

  “We will not stand for that,” they said in unison, then teleported away. Draeg followed the line of the hook he had in the twins’ auras to the Residence.

  He whistled but none of the animals came running back toward him.

  Expanding his senses and Flair, he knew that Lori was in the Residence, but not with the twins. And no one of the Family, neither those who lived in the Residence nor those in cottages on the rest of the estate, watched him. So he used Flair to gather the stridebeast and horse droppings into a bin that would be translocated to the farm—not, of course, by either Zus or Vi. He sped a quick Whirlwind dusting spell through the stables, tack room, and over the packed gravel courtyard, tidying them all.

  Corax cawed and glided down to perch on Draeg’s shoulder. I saw and heard. But I did not come to you. I don’t like those pale people.

  “You’re not alone,” Draeg muttered. “And I felt you near.” Now that he thought of it, he knew that his Fam had roosted on the ridgepole of the stable roof. With the back of his hand, Draeg stroked his bird’s feathers. “I felt your support.” Subtle, but it had been there. “Thank you.”

  Corax tugged on Draeg’s shirt collar, and he realized it had been crooked under his tunic. He smiled. Another signal to the twins that he was what he seemed. “I would rather you stay safe and away from any danger.” And he knew to his bones the male and female were dangerous. Anyone who had such an ego that it couldn’t be
flouted, such a self-image that couldn’t take even a sliver of tarnish, would do a great deal to preserve that ego and image.

  I support you, FamMan, said Corax. And I will stay safe. I am not stupid.

  “No,” Draeg said aloud.

  I am not stupid, either. Baccat swaggered close to Draeg as they entered the stableyard. Draeg Betony-Blackthorn, who has mated with My FamWoman. You had better be good to her or you will suffer My wrath.

  The word mated caused a little ruction in Draeg’s gut, but he said mildly. “So far, cat, I think that I have treated her better than you.”

  That is because you do not know Me, or what is between Lori and Me. You did not even perceive that she thinks of herself as Lori and not Loridana. There is much for you to learn about Us, if you manage to stay with Us long enough. The cat made the sound of that circumstance extremely doubtful. I will wait here until Lori arrives to school the horses. Baccat found a spot in the sun in the center of the courtyard entry where he’d be in the way of any coming or going and settled in to wash.

  It took no more than a minute or two to discover the animals. The horses had retreated to the stables and a couple of open stalls. To Draeg’s surprise, he found all the stridebeasts huddled by the northeast gate that Lori and Baccat used to exit the estate. They’d broken bushes and bracken, forcing a larger path. He walked them back to the main way one by one, paused, then disguised the path, and led the animals back to the stables.

  After that he actually mended the piece of harness he’d dropped sometime during his discussion with the twins, and frowned that he hadn’t noticed when that had happened.

  He couldn’t afford to be the least bit sloppy any more.

  Twenty-three

  At the boathouse, Lori had the worst time concentrating on her duties. By ruthlessly focusing on the fisherman himself, how he looked sturdier than the Yews who lived in the Residence, on his responsibilities and needs, she kept away any imaginings of Draeg and the intimacy they’d shared. In the end, she’d approved more gilt to be disbursed from the household funds to the man than he’d asked. A slightly reckless move, but she felt happy and optimistic and knew in her blood and bones and core that her beckoning future would be wonderful. She wanted him to feel some of that optimism, too. He left the boathouse with a spring in his step.